“No.”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed. She set the beer down and rose slowly, muscles tensing, hand moving to the gun she had hidden underneath her shirt. Kelsey hated living behind gates and guards. Said it made her feel like a prisoner in her own life. So we chose a place that was quiet, beautiful, and just exposed enough to feel normal.
“Stay here,” Taylor ordered softly but firmly. She moved toward the door with cautious, deliberate steps, every inch a professional. When she reached the door, she paused, took a breath, then cracked it open just enough to peer outside.
No one was there.
“All clear.” Taylor announced, putting her gun back on safety mode. “This was left on the welcome mat though.”
I stared at the single red rose in Taylor’s hand and the air left my lungs in a slow, measured exhale.
“Elise?” Alessia’s voice was cautious. “Who is it from?”
I stepped forward, my arms frozen at my sides as I stared at the flower.
It was fresh. Perfect. The delicate petals slightly curled at the edges.
I didn’t need a note to know who it was from.
Jax never sent texts. Never made grand gestures.
But every time before the storm, before the anger, before the bruises he would bring me a single red rose.
Just one rose, always red. Always a warning disguised as something beautiful.
I swallowed hard, forcing myself to move. My fingers trembled as I lifted the rose out of Taylor’s grasp. And that’s when I saw the note.
A small, folded slip of paper tucked between the petals.
My stomach twisted, but I already knew what it would say.
Miss me?
The handwriting was familiar. Jagged, uneven, like he’d written it fast.
My pulse pounded in my ears.
“Elise.” Kelsey said my name and my attention snapped to her.
Kelsey, Alessia, and Taylor had gathered behind me, their faces tense with a mixture of concern and something sharper.
Kelsey swallowed. “Tell me that’s not from who I think it’s from.”
Alessia’s lips pressed into a thin line.
Taylor tilted her head, considering the note like she was reading an instruction manual then proceeded to cock her gun.
“Alright,” she said. “Guess I’m killing a man.”
A hollow laugh bubbled up in my throat, but I swallowed it down.
Jax wasn’t just testing the waters. He was reminding me that he still existed. That I would never be fully free of him.
It didn’t matter how big of a city LA was.
I could live in another galaxy and it still wouldn’t be far enough.
I didn’t listen to my gut before when it came to my ex, but I was listening now.
